Brothers
by fractured sun
Summary: The life of Silas, a one shot showing his POV on meeting Methos and of the horsemen. This started out as a story about Silas and ended up a story about Methos.


Silas had always been bigger than the people around him, he had been larger than the people who had taken him in or the raiders who had given him his first death. After he came back the people he had called family had stoned him as a demon and tried to drive him away. He had tried to explain he wasn't a demon but a man and they had burnt him, when he came back he killed them all.

Later he was never sure how long he had been alone before his brother came, sometimes people would come and try to steal from him and he would kill them, sometimes people would see him and run away but no one ever stayed. Then one day the stranger who would become his brother arrived, he made his head ring as he rode out of the sun on the back of the most beautiful horse Silas had ever seen and laughed when Silas roared at him. The stranger was smaller but he was faster and he knocked Silas to the floor in seconds. Lying on the floor blinking up at the stranger who held a blade to his throat, the sun a blazing ring around him throwing his face into shadows like a living myth Silas knew his life would never be the same.

"I know what you are boy and I could give you true death." The stranger ran his free hand down his blade turning it to Silas so he could see the lightening crackling across his skin

"I am Silas, no one could ever beat me in a fight before, and you are so small." Silas said in amazement "You are like me too, I've never met anyone like me before."

The stranger smiled strangely "That much is obvious. So the question is what do I do with you now? Should I kill you or take you with me?" he mused quietly as if speaking to himself "I have travelled alone a long time and you are big enough to be useful maybe."

Silas frowned "I can help you, I'm really strong, see." he hefted his axe with one hand and smiled happily "I could come with you, then we wouldn't be alone anymore, we could be brothers."

The stranger's lips twisted into another smile "Brothers, yes we can be brothers" He leant down offering his hand to Silas "Brothers then, I am Methos."

Silas grinned throwing his hands wide expansively "Greetings brother, will you teach me to fight like you?"

Methos laughed "Yes brother I will teach you to fight."

"Can I have a horse like yours too." He asked earnestly "I'll take really good care of it."

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Xxx

* * *

Silas knew he wasn't smart like his brother Methos who knew so many things and always understood new things so quickly. His stories weren't as exciting as his brother's but Methos would listen anyway and he would patiently explain things that puzzled him. His brother taught him many things: how to fight, different languages, how to train horses and what it meant to be immortal. Normally Methos answered Silas' questions, explained new things to him or told him stories but sometimes when he was in a good mood he would tell Silas his thoughts and ideas.

"Immortality is a gift Silas, it gives us time to see so much, to be anything or anyone we want." Methos lent back sprawling alongside the fire staring at the stars as Silas fed it with branches, the horses behind them grazing peacefully between the tents "Always remember you can not be the same thing forever, brother."

"But Methos I will always be me."

Methos smiled lazily "True brother, but who you are must change with time, even the stars change with time. Think brother we are raiders, before that we were merchants, and perhaps next we will be mercenaries."

Sitting on his horse amongst the wreckage of a caravan they had attacked Methos watched as Silas moved between wagons excited by their spoils "Mortals are so fragile brother, we are their gods or their demons we can guide them or break them. We are legends Silas, the stuff of dreams or nightmares. With the right guidance and strong allies an immortal with drive could rule them for a thousand years, guide them to new heights or drive them to despair."

"You want to rule the mortals brother? Why?" Silas asked baffled

"Oh no Silas, I am the shadow, the mind, the right hand of the king." A voice as cold as death informed him then Methos grinned his tone lightening "For the right man."

"What would I be brother?" Silas asked

"Why you would be his sword and his shield."

Silas grinned satisfied "His axe." He said lifting his above his head.

Silas would carve little figures for Methos out of wood, or sing songs whenever he found writing carved on clay tablets or people who knew things Silas would bring them back for his brother and this would make Methos happy. Sometimes at night Silas would wake to hear Methos cry out in an unfamiliar language and Silas would shake him awake and sit with him until he returned to sleep. Silas could see the darkness behind his brother's eyes and feel the anger from him, he remembered how his own people had killed him and he never asked what it was Methos dreamt.

Once a group of mortals saw Methos heal, they beat him to death and set him on fire. When he returned to life Methos rode to their settlement he took the headman and staked him out in the cruel desert sun. Then he shut the people into the huts and set them aflame, never a flicker of emotion on his face and that night for the first time in a season his sleep was unbroken by nightmares.

Other immortals were rare in those days and when they met usually they would exchange greetings and pass by, sometimes an immortal would want to fight or would have something that they wanted and one of them would take his head and his quickening. Usually Silas would fight but somehow Methos always knew if the immortal was too old or too strong and would fight in his place. They travelled together to many different places and different people, in tents, caves and great cities which would later become nothing but dust and rumours whispered on the wind. They were Immortals, gods and demons free to go where they want and do what they like.

* * *

xxxx

* * *

"Can I have one brother?" Silas asked peering at the wolf pups sat in the wooden cage.

The trader fluttered around lifting one pup for Silas to see extolling it's virtues. Methos crossed the sand blasted stone street of the Sumerian city to look at the pups at the stall, his lips twitched in amusement which Silas knew meant assent. Silas picked up the pup holding it close "Thank you brother," he said happily as Methos dropped a coin into the trader's hand "Have you found what you wanted Methos?"

"Yes brother, come we have somewhere we need to be." Methos stared up at a large stone building further up the street.

"Where are we going brother?" Silas asked as he stomped next to his slender teacher as they walked between the impressive stone buildings ignoring the market stalls and the mortals trying to sell their wares.

Methos gestured towards the building "People here talk of a pair of undying demons, they have imprisoned beneath the hall."

"Two like us?" Silas asked

"Probably, we will see, they may be good companions. Gratitude mixed with the mutual benefits of a strong partnership can be the basis of a strong bond." Methos told him, confusing him.

"You want to travel with them brother? Don't you want me to stay with you?" Silas stopped, and looked at his brother lost

Methos smiled at him "Of course I want you to stay, you are my brother. If they are strong though, maybe they can be our brothers too. Besides it wouldn't do to have the mortals think they can control our kind. Think of it though Silas a band of four immortals," Methos turned to stare at him solemnly "Four is an important number brother, it is powerful, one of us for each of the elements, the seasons or the directions. Four immortals led by the right man could rule the world." Methos' grin widened "Rumour has it that one of these immortals led a band of men through the desert on nothing but his willpower alone." Methos shrugged unconcerned returning to his stroll down the road "The mortals all died of course but they followed him anyway."

They found them caged in a room beneath the building Caspian was held firm to the wall by a stake running through him and into the wall, his eyes rolled and he growled clearly insane. Kronos paced the other cage angry but contained, he turned to them as they walked down the steps his gaze assessing and clear. Silas stood back watching as Methos prowled right up to the cage stopping at the bars and staring at Kronos. There was between the two immortals an immediate fixation, like a pair of big cats staking out their territory.

Methos ducked his head just slightly a recognition of dominance rather than a gesture of submission bringing his head up and meeting Kronos' eyes boldly "I am Methos, I am looking for a leader, tell me brother do you wish to leave this place?"

They left behind a trail of dead mortals, Kronos and Caspian had shown themselves to be as efficient killers as Silas himself and under Methos' guidance and Kronos'leadership they had scythed through any resistance. The four rode out of the city on the backs of the four finest Sumerian mounts with the skulls of their enemies, stolen gold and one small wolf pup.

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xxxx

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When they first became brothers Caspian ate and Silas played with his pup by the fire whilst Kronos and Methos sat for hours discussing their plans. Methos told Kronos that he could be anyone or anything he wanted and Methos would help him, Kronos told him he wanted to be a nightmare, to rule with fear and fire to be the end of days. The next day Methos took four of the skulls from the city and fashioned helmets for each of them, he painted his own face in blue and drew markings on Silas and Caspian like the ones Kronos wore. Caspian asked why he and Silas had to be the same as Kronos but Methos was different

Methos stared at Caspian with unconcealed contempt "Kronos is our leader, you and Silas are his men so you wear his marks. I am his guide, Death, I wear blue so the spirits will recognise me."

Silas liked being a horseman even more than travelling alone with his brother, anything or anyone he wanted he took, no one mortal or immortal dared to cross them. They followed where Kronos led and Methos made sure they were always victorious. During the days they would ride into different camps leaving behind broken bodies taking with them food, gold and slaves, at night they would camp and live as kings. Silas would argue with his brother Caspian who always wanted to take his things or eat his pets but Kronos told them that they had to share everything and would be angry if they forgot it and if Kronos wasn't there then Methos was. Silas knew that Methos didn't like Caspian, he was annoying and his food was noisy but he was their brother and they would stand back to back in battle ready to fight to the death for each other, Kronos made sure of that. Silas always did what Kronos would tell them what to do, he was the leader of the horsemen, and if they didn't do it the way he wanted he would kill them until they did.

Kronos never got angry with Methos, but their leader and his right hand often played games Silas did not understand. Kronos and Methos were constantly testing each other. One day they would pace round one another like two tigers sharing too small a cage and the next they would be complimenting each other and giving each other gifts. Sometimes when Kronos and Methos spoke to each other it was as if a whole other conversation was going on beneath, that Silas didn't know about. Even when Methos did things Kronos didn't like he was always working for Kronos and the horsemen, he was death their guide.

Cassandra was one of a thousand games between the brothers; in the weeks leading up to their confrontation Kronos had paced around in a cloud of anger and jealousy which Silas knew could not end well. Silas assumed Methos had realised and was purposefully baiting the other immortal as he so often did, but when Kronos finally struck Methos seemed almost surprised. Usually following a confrontation between them, Kronos would get what he wanted and then things would go back to normal Methos satisfied having proved some obscure point, which Silas never understood. After Cassandra though Kronos was even angrier than before, he could not find her to pay her back for stabbing him, and more surprisingly Methos actually seemed to be sulking but with a strange smugness that drove Kronos into a fury. Gradually Kronos calmed down and by the end of the summer things had returned to normal, but something had changed. Centuries passed and Methos would go out on scouting missions travelling to cities in Egypt or Greece coming back with scrolls and new ideas. Each confrontation between them seemed to send Kronos into a deeper fury, and Methos seemed to slowly be drifting away, at night Methos would argue with Kronos about changing times and progression. Methos started staying away for longer and longer on scouting missions until eventually he didn't return at all.

* * *

xxxx

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Two winters after Methos left for the last time Kronos packed up and took Silas and Caspian to search for him. They heard rumours of his passing in Egypt and then again in Thrace and then it was as if he disappeared. Gradually the remaining horsemen drifted across the continent, they no longer raided instead they passed through cities killing and taking what they wanted but more often than not they would leave at a run with soldiers chasing them. One day Silas woke up to find that Caspian had left them, Kronos simply shrugged continuing his travels with Silas trailing behind him as always. Another year passed and Kronos introduced Silas to a mercenary Captain and left alone to travel to Greece.

Being a soldier was not as much fun as being one of the horsemen, there were lots of rules to follow, a certain way he had to fight and Silas missed his brothers but Silas was good at fighting and he understood the idea of brothers-in-arms very well. Silas travelled from war to war fighting alongside mortals who inevitably died until his last battle. He woke in a pile of bodies and swam to the top, his entire band had once again been wiped out, he probably would have walked to the next city and joined another if he hadn't been stopped by an immortal buzz. Looking around he was delighted when he recognised the man walking to him.

He threw his hands out wide in welcome "Brother!" he walked over quickly giving the man a hug

"Hello Silas, it's good to see you." Methos grinned returning the hug, he looked round at the bodies scattered on the ground shaking his head "Oh brother, what are we going to do with you?" he stepped back "Come on, I have a place I think you'll like better than this, you can have lots of pets, raise pigs or train horses."

Silas' face split into a wide grin and he followed willingly as his brother travelled with him taking him to a farm deep in a forest on what would later be known as the Ukraine. Time passed, years turned to decades and decades to centuries, sometimes Methos would come and visit him and he would show his brother his pigs and listen to his stories. Sometimes Methos would stay only a few days and sometimes for years teaching him new things but each time eventually he would leave returning to the world outside. Then one day Silas felt two not one immortals and Methos and Kronos rode through the trees towards him, his brothers coming to get him so that they could ride together again.

* * *

_A/N I wrote this story as a character examination of Silas and somehow it ended up being mostly about Methos, oh well. I found the relationship between them fascinating and in a way more telling than the more roller coaster relationship between Methos and Kronos. There is an innocent, caring almost paternal relationship that seems strange in two horsemen. The other thing that made writing Silas so interesting for me was his strange almost childlike acceptance of everything, he notes what's going on but never seems to question it leaving each event as a simple stated fact, leaving us to make connections.  
_


End file.
